Watercraft with retractable roofs are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,558, discloses a boat with a retractable roof. However, the retractable roof disclosed in this patent has several drawbacks. The roof is manually operated, which, for larger roofs could require considerable strength to operate. It is possible that the person operating the roof could be injured while moving the roof by trying to control its movement. Also, once the roof has been unlatched for movement from the deployed position to the retracted position, there is nothing preventing the rapid movement of the roof between the two positions. It is desirable to have a retractable roof which can be automatically moved between the deployed and the retracted positions. It is also desirable to have a retractable roof which can be moved automatically in a controlled motion, while remaining horizontal, between the deployed and retracted positions. It is also desirable to have a roof which covers only a portion of the boat deck when the roof is deployed so that a portion of the deck is in the sun and a portion is in the shade.